Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method, apparatus, and computer-readable medium for data exchange. Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate more particularly to data exchange between one or more parties.
Description of Related Art
Many business people contend business networking is a more cost-effective method of generating new business than advertising or public relations efforts. This is because networking is a low-cost activity that involves more personal commitment than company marketing time.
Business networking can be conducted in a local business community, or on a larger scale via the internet. Business networking websites have grown over recent years due to the internet's ability to connect business people from all over the world. Internet businesses often set up business leads for sale to bigger corporations and businesses looking for data sources for business.
Before online business networking, there existed face-to-face networking for business. This was achieved through a number of techniques such as trade show marketing and loyalty programs. Though these techniques have been proven to still be an effective source of effective marketing and hence income, many companies now focus more on online marketing due to the ability to track every detail of the campaign and justify the spend involved in these campaigns.
One key factor in the success in any type of networking are the strength, depth, and number of relationships that exist between different individuals. The greater the number of connections between individuals, the more powerful the relationship and the more likely the relationship will lead to advantages in business. However, the power of the relationships of individuals within organizations and the possible interconnected relationships are often unknown. In addition, data representing the relationship and strength of the relationship may be primarily within a single otherwise secure system or database, primarily distributed across a plurality of independent systems or databases, each having its own security, relevance and ownership, or any combination of these sources. Accordingly, there is a need to be able to leverage the relationships between individuals to provide for enhanced networking.